New Generation Gundam Wing: Vengeance
by Emanya
Summary: The coninuation of NGGW, more new characters!
1. Prelude

The year is AC 256, after the Scorpio Colony had been destroyed by the force known as the New Generation Gundam Pilots: Kiyoshi Yuy, Scarlet Erin Maxwell, Max Barton, Basim Atif Winner, and Lian Chen. Believed to be dead, the pilots split into factions. 

Kiyoshi Yuy, aged eighteen and the grandson of Heero and Relena Yuy concentrated his efforts as both a guerilla soldier and Gundam pilot of Raidon in the cities of Kyoto and New Tokyo. Single-handedly, he destroyed several Scorpion-loyal "nests" in those two cities, freeing the islands of Japan from any Scorpion power. 

Scarlet Erin, the genetically altered daughter of Duo Maxwell and Lyla Moore-Maxwell retreated to the Amazon basin of South America, her efforts mainly to tear the mining and logging teams that "Lord Scorpion" had set up. Using OZ mobile suits from years ago, the teams had began to strip the entire area of any plant or animal life for precious metals that could be used in making the Scorpion Dolls. Once her mission had been completed, she went about and found out about local culture and educating herself on new battle tactics from the natives. She stays in the village where she almost crash-landed her Gundam, Bran.

Max Barton and Basim Winner went to eastern Europe and the Middle East, their battle prowess used in defeating unruly lords the Scorpion had backed and freeing the people who had been held in servitude since the Scorpion came to Earth. The two lived together for some time, and yet no one had seen them outside their Gundams, Blaze and Faris respectively. 

Lian Chen, the young charge of Wufei Chang returned to the home of his ancestors in China, finding naught but corruption and pain there. He spread the word of honor and valor among the people, earning the respect and honor he felt he deserved in his fighting, and the title of his Gundam, Shen-Li. 

As for the elder pilots, Heero, Duo and Lyla, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei, believing their young charges had, in fact, died (save Duo who had seen them walking away from their own funerals), returned to their home colonies all the more somber. Their pain would not last very long.

Deep in space, there was a force stronger than the Scorpion; someone who knew what the Scorpion truly had in store for the planet and the colonies. She had her own plan; and she knew just how to tear apart the New Generation Gundams… 

… after all, what are they without the spirited second pilot? 

*~*

Nightmares… again the nightmares.

_She's alone… she's scared…_

She walked down the hallway; her footsteps echoing in the now destroyed corridors of the Scorpio colony. She drew the blanket tighter around her shoulders, shivering with fear. There was a scream, and the girl turned suddenly, her green eyes shining behind the lenses of her glasses, freckles fading on her cheeks with age. From the darkness, an almost elderly woman… now she knew it was Lyla rushed past. 

_L… Lyla! Mom! Wait up!_

She called desperately, running after the woman; though Lyla had been running in slow motion, it deemed the girl just couldn't keep up. The pounding of her shoes on the metal floor echoed in her mind as she ran, just in time to catch up, to see the woman and a man facing each other. She knew the man; she knew him as the Scorpion…

"Give it back, Scorpion!" Lyla growled, the green eyes turned to the tall, frail-looking man…

He smirked evilly, holding up a tiny tube…

__

She's in there… that's her…

And he disappeared; the entire vision changed. It was dark, it was cold, and the green eyes closed for a second as a bright light came through… there was screaming. A girl was screaming.

She stood there, her head shaved, screaming at the top of her lungs…

__

Is that me? Is that me there? My hair… I was five… it looks wrong! She doesn't have green eyes… who are you? Why are you crying? Where are you?

The vision faded, it was older now. There were two shadows, both were women… they both looked the same. White stuff fell… feathers? Snow? The seer couldn't tell. The two shadows faced each other, a pair of green eyes glowed, a pair of icy white eyes glowed… both of the shadows fell… more white stuff… feathers? Snow? 

__

Stained red… 

And then a warm, orange light interrupted. 

__

Nightmare… is it a nightmare?

Iris… Iris… Iris…

*~*

The slender girl with the scarlet hair was startled awake, her breath coming in gasps, a cold sweat dripping from her brow as she fell to her arms to support her upper body from going too near to the fire; wooden beads rattling in her braid. A startled animal gave a yelp and hid in a pile of blankets. Shaking, the girl pulled the blanket around her tighter…

"What is it so cold?" she muttered between clattering teeth "It feels as if ice were running through my veins!"

"It is a side-effect of the vision plant, child. It will pass, as all things do." The elderly medicine man, with matching beads hanging in his long silver-gray hair said. He stepped in and pulled the girl backwards, setting her against the pile of blankets. The aforementioned small animal, bright eyes reflecting the firelight leapt into the girl's blanketed lap, snuggling close to her body. A pale hand reached out and patted the animal, glancing up at the medicine man, the one she called Grandfather even though they were obviously in no way related. 

"Oya was frightened by your cries, Fire-Hair." Grandfather grinned slightly "Perhaps next time you shouldn't yell so loud, hmm?" The healer handed her a clay cup of a steaming liquid, which she was obliged to drink.

Oya, the "house pet" of Fire-Hair AKA Scarlet Erin Maxwell, was a small mammal that the "healer-in-training" had found while on a journey through the woods, injured and scared. While the medicine man looked on, Scarlet had eased the small animal to her presence, and secured it. Since then, "Oya", named after the sound she made and a goddess of thunder to the people of the Amazon, Scarlet took in the rascal at the loss of her pet rabbit Shiniusagi, or rather Flopsy, who she had given to Mr. Maxwell in the event of her demise. She smiled slightly, knowing Mr. Maxwell had probably given the thing to Quatre, who kept it in his office and talked to it and petted it and probably looked like some deranged cutsie-villian from a spy-spoof as he spoke with people from other colonies on terribly important subjects.

Oya leapt into Scarlet's lap, going "Oya! Oy!"

It was later in the evening that Scarlet walked out beyond the village of "the people of the basin", and climbed to where the rainforest vines had swiftly grown over the black Gundam that bore the double scythe. With Oya on her shoulder, rattling beads in her hair, and a large pack on her back, she took a hold of the lead rope that hung down from the cockpit, slipping her leather-clad foot through the boot. She glanced at Oya, giving an affectionate rub to the animal's ears.

"We're gonna meet the boys!" she laughed softly, a fond thought drifting back to a single one of her friends…

*~*

Kiyoshi Yuy stood atop a building in Kyoto, patiently awaiting the arrival of the other pilots. They had agreed, before they had split to go their separate ways, Kiyoshi, Scarlet, Max, Basim and Lian had agreed to meet on this building should anything arise to their attentions that needed to be remedied. He was sure the others had seen signs of impending danger.

In Kyoto and Tokyo, Kiyoshi had noticed a sharp decline in Scorpion activity, there were no more rally talks, and no more leaders being posted… this was disturbing. He knew he had driven the Scorpion troops into hiding, their numbers and suits totally depleted. He knew they were more cautious; but they had always been open. There were still people trying to reap the goods of being a Scorpion during the battles of the past; Kiyoshi was just realizing those were only battles, this was a war. A war that the Gundam pilots in fact could loose…

He turned as the door opened behind him, and he saw a familiar pale-faced man with black hair tied back into a pigtail, fine eyebrows relaxed. His dark brown eyes casually glanced over Kiyoshi, who wore jeans and a green muscle shirt. He himself wore black pants with a white shirt depicting a silver dragon. 

"Hn." The Japanese pilot regarded the Chinese pilot, and they shook hands. "It's good to see you, Lian." He greeted politely. 

"As it is you, Kiyoshi." Lian replied. "No sign of the others?" 

"Not yet."

"Maybe Scarlet was eaten by a jaguar." 

Kiyoshi glanced at his companion.

"I doubt we'd have such luck." He said coolly, turning towards the city. Lian smiled slightly then glanced at the door, watching it open as Basim and Max stepped through, packs slung over each their shoulders. Max was dressed in an olive sweatshirt, along with rather tight-fitting jeans. Basim was familiarly dressed with a set of brown slacks, a blue shirt with a darker blue vest. Basim smiled at the two pilots, and waved. 

"Hello, Lian, Kiyoshi, how are you doing?" he greeted the two. 

"Lian. Kiyoshi." Max said with a nod to both. 

The four pilots stood atop the building, the setting sun behind them.

"Isn't Scarlet coming?" Basim asked, turning to Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi turned to the door.

"Hn." Kiyoshi answered.

And that's when "it" hit him…

Or rather… she. 

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYO!" She screeched at the top of her lungs as the red-haired pilot leaped onto Kiyoshi's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, also making him loose his balance and nearly fall on his face. She sat her chin on his shoulder with a wide, toothy grin. 

"How's my favorite humbug, Kiyo?" She asked, her question punctuated with an "Oya!"

Kiyoshi turned, glaring at Scarlet and whatever had said "Oya!" finding the red-haired woman grinned ear-to-ear and whatever had said "oya" hanging onto his shoulders. 

"Would you mind getting off me?" he asked as politely as he could under the circumstances… with a monkey (correction: a monkey and a what's-it) on his back. Scarlet simply laughed as if she were a child at a game and rolled off Kiyoshi, who promptly stood and looked at the woman pilot; her freckles had faded away, but some still remained as a refreshing splash of brown across her face. Her hair was still a brighter red than any other's head he had seen, and her braid now was laced with wooden beads of bright shades. Around her neck she wore a pennant with a strange symbol on it. Her clothes however had evolved. In the place of the normal black tank top or button-down, she wore a shell top that seemed to be made of leather, black all around with a strip of red down in the middle of her breasts. This midriff top showed a well-toned stomach, her slender body showing its curves of womanhood. Her pants were a green army fatigue, where it might have been torn she had sewn hearts, and on the back pocket a raven flew. She had become possibly more slim and trim, carrying a black jacket over her shoulder, which bore a tattoo of a strange looking glyph, an X in a box with the double-beam-scythe of her Gundam making a strait line down the middle of the X. 

"Scarlet!" Basim exclaimed, his eyes opened wide in surprise.

"What did you DO to yourself?" Lian cried out half in rage, grabbing her arm and lifting up to inspect the tattoo.

"Hey! Hands off the rite of passage!" Scarlet grinned, backing away, holding her hands up as Oya growled. Kiyoshi raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"That is supposed to mean…?" 

"It means that I'm a medicine-woman in training within a native nation in the Amazon." Scarlet smiled, rubbing Oya's chin. She glanced over to Lian with a smile. "Let's just say it was a hobby." 

Kiyoshi rolled his eyes; Scarlet was always trying to get everyone else riled over nothing.

The Japanese pilot cleared his throat, getting the attention of all present. Eight eyes focused on him, and began to speak in his natural monotone. 

"As you know, our trainers think us dead, and hopefully none of us have tried to be in contact with them. Our individual missions given to us through our Gundams care of Lyla, for if we had won the battle, have been completed." He turned away, crossing his arms and looked at the others out of the corners of his eyes "I don't know about the rest of you, but I have noticed a sharp drop in Scorpion activities."

"Yeah, I noticed that too! They totally dropped all the mining activities!" 

"They disappeared in the middle-east region." Basim piped up, accompanied by a nod from Max. 

"In China, they have left facilities behind, bare. There is definitely something going on." Lian agreed. 

In the twilight in which the pilots met, an ill wind that did little good to warm their cooling fingers rustled through them. An ill wind does little good to any…

*~*

Merely hours after the first meeting in months of the New Generation Gundam Pilots, deep within space, an evil, ice blue eye opened as Nicholas Catalonia glared out through the star-struck void, sitting within the comfortable seat of the admiral of a ship.

"Sir, we have located the second Gundam pilot." A silky, soft voice whispered calmly. A woman's shadow casts itself over the self-proclaimed "last scorpion". 

"Good… you know what to do. Take Destruction." 

"Aye-aye, sir." The shadow saluted smartly then turned on her heels, a braid showing in her silhouette as she walked down the hall. 

*~*

The base hadn't been used since the days of the original Gundam Pilots, and Scarlet sneezed as she uncovered the now antique computers that once ran the Gundam outpost #3. 

"You think they coulda cleaned a bit?" she coughed. Basim sneezed as the dust reached his nose. 

"I dunno…" he coughed in response. Kiyoshi turned to them, bearing a flashlight in his hands, Scarlet turned and wandered off…

"Damn her." He muttered "Why couldn't she make herself useful and…"

"Found a light switch!" Scarlet beamed as the bright lights turned on and the exhaust fans started up, moving the stale air from the rooms. 

Kiyoshi looked at Scarlet dejectedly then glanced around. 

"What's your opinion, Maxwell? You seem to be the technology expert." 

Scarlet came up beside him, wiping her nose with a black handkerchief, and blew her nose. The trumpet blast made Kiyoshi jump. 

"Well, it's a bit old, but we'll have to make-due. I can try and incorporate some newer stuff in, but the computer can only handle so many upgrades before the system melts." 

"Crashes?"

"I don't speak in 'crash', Kiyoshi. Crash is when all hell breaks loose, but it's repairable. 'Melt' is when the system goes down, we put our heads between our legs and kiss our asses goodbye." 

"You're such an optimist, Scarlet." Kiyoshi stated dryly as he turned away. Scarlet came, and slipped her elbow over his shoulder, and bend forward, holding up a floppy disk between her index and middle fingers. 

"I know, drives me nuts. Know what this is?" she asked, her green eyes were alight with mischief. Kiyoshi looked at the nondescript black disk. He narrowed his eyes at it, then glanced at Scarlet.

"No, what is it?"

"Lyla's journal! When she was my age!" she laughed slightly as she slipped it into her pocket. 

"Oh goody." Kiyoshi rolled his eyes and turned to Scarlet. She was close to him, disgustingly close. He made all effort to refuse pushing her away or touching her more than he had to… less than he wanted to.

"Hey, Max!" Basim called out as he tilted slightly, standing against a doorway "Could you give me a hand with…"

Scarlet passed by before Max had even looked up

"Nope, this stays in here. This was Lyla's barracks - I think the other pilots kept her from Mr. Maxwell for good reason…" she says as she sat the box back on the ground, kicking it gently to the side. Max came over and poked his head in

"Doesn't look too different from ours, except if possible, more bare." Basim quietly commented, glancing around. "Are you going to redecorate?" 

"Nah… I'm hoping to get outta here in a few weeks. There's other things on Bran that I only discovered a few weeks ago… these suits were built years before we were born, and it's fascinating because every detail of history in it is like reading a brand new book." Scarlet picked up her laptop and sat down on her hammock. Basim tentatively sat in an old wicker chair, glancing around. Oya, Scarlet's pet whatever, was sleeping around Scarlet's neck like some kind of bizarre neck ornament. Scarlet lean back, not seeming to notice the creature around her neck at all. 

"How long do you think we'll need this base?" Basim asked, watching as Max exited the room to continue cleaning up. Scarlet didn't look up, her fingers flying across the keyboard of the laptop as she entered different codes, codes written in a Scorpion script that Bran had taught to her while training. She hummed to some rock song as her fingers clicked away.

There was no way of knowing of what she would find on Lyla's old journal.

*~*

The girl strode easily towards the large country home of Treize Kushrenada, wearing a smart looking sleeveless shirt and jeans in the warm Italian night. The guards looked up and saluted her.

"Miss Kushrenada!" one choked out, as if unbelieving. The girl smiled, giving a toss of her red braid. 

"Hello, gentlemen. Is grandfather at home?" she asked as sickeningly sweetly as she could. The guards nodded. 

"Yes ma'am, Miss Nicole. Shall I message him to tell him you've arrived?" 

The girl paused as she stepped through the gates. 

"No… no that's all right. I want it to be a _surprise._"

The red-haired girl smiled sweetly again, and made her way towards the mansion. As she stepped in through the door (it never seemed to be locked), she glanced around the unfamiliar setting. A portrait of Nicole Kushrenada - otherwise known as Scarlet Erin Maxwell - hung over the fireplace. She wore a green velvet dress; her red locks framing her face then pulled back at her neck in a late medieval hairstyle. She wore long, black gloves and had a white rose in her lap. 

The girl stood and stared a long time, studying the face reflected in the painting. It was surreal to the girl, and she stood dazed at the near mirror image.

"Scarlet…" she heard someone call… she didn't respond right away, until the voice became a bit louder, a question "Scarlet?" 

The girl turned to see an old man standing with the use of a cane. He wore a smart blue jacket over a nice white shirt, and formal black slacks. His gray hair was neat. 

She knew this man, both from history books on her colony and from her mission objectives. This was Treize Kushrenada. 

"Hi, Mr. Treize! Oops, Grandfather!" she giggled. God, is she this annoying? The young woman asked herself. Treize relaxed a moment.

"It's all right, Scarlet. There's no one around to hear. It is a great relief to see you - I attended the funeral… tell me, did all of the teenagers survive?" 

She shifted her weight… then shook her head. 

"I escaped in my gundam before the colony exploded… I… I tried to find them…" she shook her head, wiping away a false tear. She laughed inside… 

"Oh… Scarlet I'm sorry." He put a white-gloved hand to his face, taking off his glasses a moment. "You told me so much about them… and if they were anything like the pilots…"

She began to laugh.

Treize glanced up, partially annoyed. He knew Scarlet was light hearted, but when she cried, it was genuinely worth tears. He drew backwards, his eyes narrowing as the girl looked up; he saw the eyes. They were not Scarlet's friendly emerald pools; they were pools of icy fire! 

"Who… who are you?" he stammered as she drew a gun.

"Who am I?" the false one smirked. "Doom." 

A shot rang out though the halls. A body slumped to the floor, and Doom pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Alpha female to Charlie, we got him."


	2. The Ringing Laugh of Doom

A crimson haired girl lays in a hammock, rocking slowly back and forth with a warm summertime mountain wind, watching the sun sink over the horizon. She reaches over, lazily flipping on an old radio, listening to some classical music… a Japanese station (which she almost disdainfully avoids, knowing that all that station played was Sound-Bands that sang lyrics in rude English words), and bouncing off a few other stations before she settled on the news. The news ALWAYS put her to sleep.

She settled back in the hammock, watching the mountains and an eagle circling the mountains lazily, knowing the guys were probably "doing their own thing" - Lian probably was meditating, Basim and Max were probably reading. Kiyoshi… well she admitted she had no idea what Kiyoshi was doing, but it probably was boring to her.

"This just in from representatives from the Colony Clusters and Earth, there have been unusual abductions, seemingly related of several private individuals and a few public personas. Among the missing, Heero and Relena Yuy, Duo and Lyla Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre and Dorothy Winner, Wufei Chang, Milliardo and Lucretzia Peacecraft, Merimaia Kushrenada, and former world leader, Treize Kushrenada. It's not known why these seemingly random groups of people have been abducted…"

By the time the radio report had finished, Scarlet had fallen out of her hammock with a cry, attracting all four of her teammates. They listened to the list with a reserved silence…

Scarlet stood, replacing her glasses and fixing the strap of her tank top.

"It was said that a girl resembling the mysterious Nicole Kushrenada was seen at the Kushrenada Estate in Germany, whether the young woman was abducted is not known. Officials are trying their best to locate them." The radio voice continued, until Kiyoshi turned it off. 

"I suppose you all know what this means." He muttered quietly, turning to the others. 

"We're going to Disney?" Scarlet tried to joke, but her voice was weak… "I… I have to make a phone call." She trembled, then ran from the garage to the communications room. Max looked at her; if everyone she knew was gone… those acrobats at the circus may have disappeared too. 

*~*

Scarlet typed in the coordinates of the call, placing it to the L3 colony cluster where the circus that Trowa, Max, and herself had worked in, her mind spun. They didn't know her as Scarlet; they knew her as Raven. Tomas, Amelia, Amy, and Matthew, an acrobat family who had rescued her from dying in space, who fed and clothed her as she regained her memories. 

She shakily slipped on the communicator headphones, the dial tone of a phone sounding, then ringing… ringing… ringing… she count to fourteen rings… then slammed her fists on the table. 

"BASTARD!" she cried out, certainly drawing Kiyoshi's attention to the echo. The redhead broke down crying. Amy… she was only seven years old. Matthew would be nineteen, Amelia… Tomas… were they hurt? Were they scared? Did they blame _her_? 

She turned, rising slowly from the seat, walking out into the hallway and falling to her knees. Everyone she cared about… everything was missing. Gone… she had felt this feeling before?

__

Give it back, Scorpion

No! It was a nightmare! A vision!

Iris!

Wait up, mom! Iris!

Her breathing became labored; she heard her heartbeat in her ears. 

_The vision plant can stay in your system for a long time… it could stay forever. Do you still want to take it?_

Yes… I'm willing to take the plant. I need to get to the point of the nightmares. Please… I can handle it.

Scarlet…

Iris…

Lyla…

Mr. Maxwell…

Duo… 

Iris… 

Iris…

Iris…

Who are you? Who are you? Iris… 

Her body crumpled to the floor, her little bottle of pills clasped tightly in her left hand, as her hand hit the floor the tiny white pills spilled over the tile. Four running pairs of feet found her like this, her green eyes wide open as her body twitched.

*~*

Kiyoshi was standing watch that night. His Prussian blue eyes searched the dark horizon, but there was nothing. The night birds flew in and out of his vision, but he paid them no heed. He was more concerned with Scarlet. She had totally blacked out, and was still recovering in the medlab. Basim was watching her, making sure she didn't go into arrest. 

He leaned against the walls, closing his eyes for a moment. He was raised to be emotionless in battle, not to distinguish between good and evil, because in the end, all wars and fighters were evil… but he had feelings for Scarlet. Strong feelings and they burned like the heat of battle. He had heard Scarlet say "Iris". 

What was… is… was Iris?

Kiyo sighed and leaned against the wall. There was no sense in worrying about Scarlet. She would always come out all right in the end.

*~*

Scarlet awoke slowly, opening her emerald pools slightly, then groaning as she put a hand to her head. 

Basim wet a cloth, putting it on her forehead. 

"It's all right Scarlet… Kiyoshi said you had another panic attack." He smiled, trying to sound friendly. Scarlet coughed then lay back

"Peachy." She muttered. "Just when things begin to get interesting, I break down." She sighed and rolled over, her back to Basim. She began to mutter in a sleepy-ill voice "Just wake me up a few minutes before the world ends. I'm gonna shoot someone."

Basim crossed his arms, trying his best to look stern. 

"Well, that's not very like you, Scarlet."

Scarlet looked over her shoulder… then nodded. 

"Right… I'm gonna get over this, we've got people to find!" 

She hopped out of bed, and staggered towards the mess hall…

"But first… I need some grub…" 

*~*

Dorothy Catalonia-Winner's head lay upon the rising-and-falling chest of Quatre Rebarbra Winner, her eyes closed and her gray hair loosened.

"Why is it we who are always paying for wars, while we are alive, Quatre?" she mummered, reaching up and caressing her decades-old lover's face. Quatre sighed, opening his gray green eyes and looked up, hearing the mummered soft-talk of the others nearby in the dim light. 

"I don't know, Dorothy." He muttered back, running a grandfatherly hand through her hair. "I don't know." 

Chang Wufei stood to the side, watching those who had significant others. Duo and Lyla shared one of the old army blankets in a corner, entwined in each other's arms. Heero and Relena talked (well, Relena talked. Heero stared vacantly into space) near the center of the room. Une, Kushrenada, and Mariemaia were grouped near each other, while Lucretzia and Milliardo Peacecraft leaned their heads on each other's shoulders. Quatre and Dorothy had now sat up, Quatre sitting against the wall with Dorothy hanging on his arm like some kind of exotic ornament. Wufei himself stood alone. 

"Well… at least we know they're alive." Quatre chirruped, trying to sound cheerful. 

Duo stirred, then opened his eyes with a slight smile. 

"Aw… I knew they were alive. I saw them walkin' away after the funeral." 

"DUO!" Lyla cried out, sitting up stark. "YOU KNEW SCARLET WAS ALIVE AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?" 

"Ah… heh… must have slipped my mind…" Duo laughed. Lyla sighed. "Figures…"

Treize laughed slightly, and Wufei glared at him. 

"Care to tell the rest of us what's so funny, Treize?" he growled, standing strait. Treize, still dressed in his formal evening clothes looked calmly up at the former Chinese pilot. 

"I knew they weren't dead. I learned a long time ago that it was impossible to kill a Gundam Pilot." 

The six Gundam pilots looked to each other, Lyla snuggling closer in Duo's arms. 

"I hope they're all right…"

Suddenly, the lights got bright above, and a shadow fell upon the smattering of people in the cell. Everyone looked up to see the figure of a young woman with long hair reaching to her calves. She held a gun in one hand, her other placed on her hip.

"So…" a distantly familiar voice asked the people below, "… are my guests comfortable?" she chuckled.

Lyla stood up.

"Iris…" she began, but the girl silenced her with a wave of her hand, still just a dark shadow.

"Yes. I am Iris. I am your downfall, your ultimate being… well…" she chuckled with an evil tone. "One of them." 

Duo blinked… Lyla had told him how Scarlet had come to be… trapped in suspended animation as a zygote for decades, then purified and released into a womb, delivered, and given to him to care for. 

Why another? Unless…

"Show yourself, Iris!" Heero called up, standing protectively over Relena. Iris laughed as she complied, and the lights behind her dimmed. She had Duo's nose, she had Lyla's eyes… her grandmother's eyes too… her light violet hair hung to her calves. She wore a red tank top and red leather pants, red boots completing the outfit. 

She was Scarlet! 

"Scarlet?" Duo blinked, backing away.

Iris laughed. 

"Something like that… Duo Maxwell." She chuckled again. She laughed so evilly; it was so different from Scarlet's light-hearted laughter. Duo looked at Lyla reproachfully… she didn't even look up to meet his glance. Duo shook his head, then turned, looking back up at Iris.

"I can tell by that stupid look in your eye that you don't get it." She smirked. "As you know, Scarlet was held in a state of suspended animation for decades. As a reaction to re-instating animation to the zygote, the cell split in two, forming not one but two super-humans. In essence, I am Scarlet's twin." 

Duo glared at Lyla silently, then back up to Iris. The violet-haired girl laughed.

A door opened to the side, and a group of four was pushed in. It was a family, the woman was holding a young girl close to her, and the father making sure the teenage son followed. They glanced up, seeing Trowa to the side.

"Barton!" he barked, the tall acrobat making his way towards the former clown. "What the hell is going on here?" 

Trowa was silent… he had no idea. 

Lyla looked up.

"She hates her." She mummered…

Matthew, the acrobat's son who knew Scarlet as Raven, turned towards the elderly pilot. He walked over, and Duo stood, protective of Lyla. 

Lyla looked up again…

"Iris hates Scarlet. We all know Scarlet in some way - as Nicole, Raven, and as Scarlet the Gundam pilot…" she began. Mariemaia turned

"So this is all HER fault?" she cried out angrily. 

Milliardo nodded in agreement, a scowl on his wizened face. 

"I agree. If Scarlet had kept her profile down, and behaved, and DIDN'T FIGHT…" 

"Now see here!" Duo cried out over the din… 

Wufei shook his head, and joined Trowa to the side.

"What do you make of all this, Barton?" he asked. Barton shrugged. 

"Lyla does have a point. We all have had dealings with Scarlet before now."

"It's a trap." Lyla whispered, hugging her knees to her chest like a frightened child as Duo argued with Mariemaia and Milliardo, "Scarlet… has Bran… that means…" 

Lyla's eyes opened wide, and she shot up 

"She may have the other one…"

Lyla's mind raced… there could be other meanings… she walked to a corner of the octagon-shaped cell, and sat herself down, scratching out a family tree with her wedding ring, starting with her and Duo, making out lines for Scarlet and Iris. Then she went to her brother, who did have a child at one time. She had kept track of her when she was in Scorpio, and knew she was now happily married and probably had a few kids. 

She was struck with a thought; originally, the Scorpion (who was once a professor in her father's genetics company) had a plan to wipe out Earth and the Colonies by releasing a bout of Venom, a disease that killed anyone who was not born with a specific gene. She had it. Scarlet and Iris had the gene… she knew it was in the X-chromosome… that meant if her brother had a daughter… and his daughter had a daughter…

"Dear God…" she whispered "… she's completing Operation Venom…"

*~*

Scarlet lay in bed, Oya was sleeping just above her head on a shelf. 

_No… not the same nightmare… I'm running after Lyla… Iris… Iris… Lyla and Iris… _

Her dream suddenly changed, a youth, wearing a glowing gray robe stood before her, black wings spread out, and his face was peaceful. 

_Bran…_

The youth opened his eyes, and gave Scarlet a slight smile. 

"It's good to know you know what I look like." He mummered… 

The two floated in dream-space, Scarlet could see stars all around, and felt chill. 

_What's wrong with me? Is this a bad reaction to the vision plant?_

"No, Scarlet. It is reactions… remember Grandfather had said that the plant stays with you for a long time after it's taken."

_I feel so cold…_

She shivered…

She cried out in pain.

_What's happening? Bran! I'm having a panic attack! _

"Calm down, Scarlet!" she heard some voice say… and she opened her green eyes.

*~*

His Prussian blue eyes gazed into her emerald pools, his strong hands holding her arms just above the elbows. He let go of one arm, placing a finger to her lips. 

Scarlet's breathing eased; she was still in the hospital wing of the base. Kiyoshi had grabbed her arms to keep her from falling off, and he slowly slid her back into the bed and slowly, almost tenderly covered her back up. 

She looked at him questioningly, then closed her eyes. She was exhausted.

She heard Kiyoshi speak. 

"Who's Iris?" 

Scarlet's eyes opened, seeing again that girl with the shaved head in her mind, and the two shadows from her vision before she had met up with the others again…

The emerald pools glanced into the blue… and closed again.

"I don't know, Kiyo." She answered after a moment, heaving a deep sigh. She glanced at him again.

"Let me guess, you guys actually set up a watch to make sure I didn't blow something up in my sleep?" she asked almost sourly. 

Kiyoshi glanced at her, then stood.

"I just couldn't sleep." was his reply as he slipped out of the medlab. Scarlet gave a little smile… 

"Thank-you Kiyoshi…" she whispered, then rolled onto her side and fell to sleep, guarded by Bran… and the returning watchful eye of Kiyoshi Yuy.

*~*

Morning broke, and Kiyoshi rose earlier than usual, deciding to make a check on Scarlet before morning duties took over. He wore his familiar yellow muscle shirt with a pair of jeans, his yellow boots and white socks. He opened the medlab door and looked in, not really surprised to see Scarlet up so early. She was always up before the others were. 

He closed the medlab door and slipped down the hallway towards the mess hall, his steps not making a sound.

He walked into the dining area, and blinked. There was an array of pills laid out next to their bottles, he recognized one set of pills; the ones Scarlet took for her panic attacks and blackouts. 

He turned, seeing Scarlet walk in with a glass of water, which she nearly dropped when she saw him

"KIYOSHI!" she backed up again, Kiyo grabbed one of the pill bottles, and held it up, reading the label. 

"Scarlet, what's this?" he asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. 

Scarlet sighed. 

"That's a birth control pill." Scarlet said, grabbing it as she walked by, setting it down on the table. 

"Let's see, we have birth control, panic attack, asthma, vitamins A, B1, C, D extracted from milk, and I have an iron supplement, a calcium supplement, and…" she picked up a small black pill "This is something I picked up in the Amazon. It's supposed to increase your endurance." 

Kiyoshi blinked.

"What are you doing taking all that?" 

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she took the pill cocktail, shoving the pills into her mouth and taking a swing of water swallowing it all down. She sighed as her throat cleared up, then smiled at Kiyoshi. "I'm taking care of myself." 

Kiyoshi picked up the birth control pills, looking at Scarlet questioningly. 

"Regulating menstruation." Scarlet answered his questioning glance, then bounced out of the room…

"I'm gonna go and buff Bran's armor." She smiled, then turned, walking backwards. "Or maybe go out to breakfast?" she gave him a hopeful look. Kiyoshi shot it strait down.

"No." 

"Aw! But Kiyo, we could wake the rest of the guys up and then head out, have flapjacks and oatmeal and French toast and egg-n-bacon sandwiches on bagels…" 

Kiyoshi rolled his eyes.

"If you have forgotten, Scarlet, we have missing people to rescue."

Scarlet seemed to deflate. She glanced over to the side. 

"I know, Kiyo… I'm… I'm just worried about having more panic attacks. I thought they were getting better." 

Kiyoshi looked at her then put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find them, Scarlet…" 

"It's not that, Kiyoshi… I've been having nightmares…" 

"Is that what this falling out of bed business is about, Scarlet? Nightmares?" 

The redheaded pilot nodded slightly, then sighed.

"I've been considering taking some sleeping pills, you know, something to knock me out for the night. Just for one good night's sleep without worrying about it."

Kiyoshi shook his head. Over dreams? This was ridiculous.

"Take the sleeping pills, Scarlet. We need you to be alert and active, just like everyone else in the group." He nodded slightly, then turned and walked from the room.

Scarlet balked a moment… then rubbed her arm.

"Why so cold, Kiyo? Why so cold?" she asked his retreating form in a softened whisper, her hand moved to her shoulder, where he had gripped her. 

*~*

Iris stood on the bridge of Destruction, the flagship of the Scorpion Troops. Her violet hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her bangs combed back into the mass of hair. She narrowed her eyes, rubbing her shoulder slightly as she looked out over Earth. 

"Iris?" she heard a voice ask. Her icy blue orbs turned, glancing upon Nicholas Catalonia. She smiled. 

"Yes, sir?" Nicholas looked at her a moment, then shook his head with a carry on.


End file.
